Captive Heart
by isflamma
Summary: Tifa Lockhart: famed bounty hunter taking on one last job before retiring. Sephiroth: ShinRas greatest general, except he's on the run. When ShinRa sends Tifa out to hunt their masterpiece she knows it will be the hardest job she's ever done. Yet it's the only way to get away from her horrible past. Only fate steps in and might there be more to the pair than meets the eye?
1. The new kids

AN: Started writing this story back in 2007 as a present for my amazing beta SeveredWing. I was given three prompts to choose from, and I went with bounty hunter. Was hoping to write it all back in the day, but was hit by horrible writers block at about chapter 8. And big surprise to those who know me, it's still not finished even after all these years. Did get some inspiration lately, so have made some progress. Also it has been interesting to go through how I've "changed" as a writer.

I wasn't going to post anything before it was finished, but decided that this is part of my way to celebrate the remake being released. So hope you all enjoy and please leave some feedback, I'd love to know if you're interested in reading this. Feedback helps fight writers block after all.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Final Fantasy, I do however own the idea for the story. I've also taken liberties with events and characters in the wonderful world of FF7.

**CAPTIVE HEART**

_In the field so green and so free, seeds gaze up _

_The clouds keeps them from the light _

_And the sky cries white tears of snow _

_But still, fragile seeds wait long for the sun to shine _

_Dark winter away, come spring _

_My young seeds once again will look up to the sky _

_And I know they will grow strong _

_My young seeds once again will look up to the sky _

_And I know they will grow strong_

_**-Seeds of Love**_

**CHAPTER 1: The New Kids**

None of the children were talking. When the little girl had first entered the truck, she had asked where they were going. After the hard slap she had gotten as an answer, she had become quiet. It seemed all the other kids had done the same. At least, that's what happened to the three others that had been picked up after her. Now they were all just sitting, crying softly by themselves.

Somehow, she had the feeling that she was going somewhere bad. Was it because she had been naughty? She didn't think that she had been. Her mother shouted at her a few times every now and then, but she had always hugged her and told her she loved her afterwards. Now she couldn't be sure. And what about all the other kids? Was this what happened when you were bad? Her mother had always told her that if she wasn't good, she would end up where all the bad girls went, but she really didn't think that she had been bad.

While she sat quietly in her corner and worried, the truck drove on. During the drive they had picked up two more boys and another girl. There were now three girls and five boys in the truck, every one of them scared.

Driving always seems to take forever for children, and this was no exception. One of the new boys made the mistake of asking when they were going to be at their destination. His answer was the same as hers had been earlier.

When they finally did stop, it was to get off at their destination. At first, no one had moved. They had thought they'd just be picking up another child, but then the man who had sat with them in the back started screaming at them to get out. One by one they walked to the back and were yanked out harshly. The little girl fell to the ground and scraped her knees, but no one cared to even look at her. Slowly, she got up to her feet, standing back up in the line the children had formed. She wiped the tears from her eyes and saw where they had ended up. It was a big dark building that towered high above her. All the other children were looking at it timidly as well. This did not look like a place that was very friendly, not for people of any age. Suddenly, all the fear that had been pent up came back in full force. Where was Mother and Father?

/

Somewhere, deep underground, in the same building that the children had just arrived at, was another child. This boy had spent all his life in the small room he was in. He had come to hate it a long time ago. But still, it was a sanctuary from the rest of the facility. In here, he was safe at least. There were no tests, no experiments, no men in lab coats that smiled strangely at him. Yes, he'd rather spend all his time in this little room than in some other parts of the building.

He was currently resting and recuperating from some physical endurance tests he had done the previous day. He had not been allowed to stop until he had collapsed from exhaustion, yet he considered himself lucky. Most days did not end so easily. Usually, he was out for several days before he woke up, bruised and aching all over.

Not that that ever stopped Hojo. No, nothing would stop Hojo. Not even the death of the boy.

/

The little girl had been locked in an empty room for days. At least, she thought days had gone by. There was no way of knowing since the room was completely bare. Nothing, but gleaming white walls. The large iron door at the end was the only thing that did not glare at her. She had received food through a slot in it several times now, and that was how she guessed that a long time had gone by.

Yet no one had come looking for her. Not her mother, not her father. No one.

She had not seen anyone since the children had gotten out of the truck. They had been blindfolded and knocked out.

When she had first woken up inside the room, she had screamed until she was hoarse. Then, when her voice came back, she screamed some more. At some point her captors tired of her screaming. The next time she screamed she was blasted with water from the ceiling. So now she spent her time huddled in a corner, not saying a peep. She had tried speaking a few times, but always the water fell upon her. At some point she just gave up and sobbed silently.

A few more days went by (at least she thought it was days), and then something finally happened. Someone came in to her room. The girl was quick to scurry into her favorite corner, the furthest from the door and hide. She kept throwing glances at the man. A doctor, she guessed. He wore one of the coats that doctors usually had. He was about the same age as her father, but did not have her father's kind face. No, this man was thin, his coat seemed too big for him, and he had an angry looking expression on his face. The girl wished he would leave, but she did not dare speak.

"I am Dr. Vanvarda. I will be your handler for the time being. We will begin tomorrow."

Before she even had a chance to respond, he was gone. The girl felt very afraid. She hoped that tomorrow would never come, for surely it would not bring anything good with it.

/

For some reason, the boy had been left alone for some time now. They had not come for him for several days. This was unusual, especially as he was not that badly hurt. It had happened once or twice before, but he did not know the reason. Perhaps it was simply mind games. There were a lot of those, but he had learned to know when they occurred, and this did not seem like one of them. He hoped the peace would last, even though he knew it would not. Nothing but pain ever lasted long in this God forsaken place.

And so he waited.

_**To be continued…**_


	2. Routines

**CHAPTER 2: Routines**

When the next day finally did come, the little girl had not slept a wink all night. After her breakfast, which was the same as it had been every day (a weird, oddly tasting smoothie), the man she had met the night before was back.

"Out," he commanded. When the little girl did not move, he walked over to her and pulled her up by the arm.

"I said, out!" Pulled to her feet, the girl struggled to find her footing, stumbling for awhile as she hurried to walk out after the man.

Outside of her room was a hallway that seemed to go on forever, in both directions. They walked to the right, and were soon joined by the other children she had seen last night, and what she assumed, were their "handlers". The other children seemed just as scared as she was. There were several doors on both sides of the hallway the further they walked, but no one else came out of them after a point.

At the end of the long hallway they entered a massive elevator and rode down several floors. As they stepped out, there was another hallway. The girl felt so confused, this place was huge! Yet this time they didn't walk that far before a door opened and they were ushered inside.

The room was filled with strange looking machines and the walls were filled with screens. All walls except one, where there was a mirror that stretched the length of the wall. The children huddled together, trying to find comfort and strength in numbers, afraid of what would happen to them now.

"Subjects Echo one, two and three as well as Delta one through four will begin. Handlers begin your evaluation." As the voice stopped speaking, four boys and three girls were grabbed and pulled over to one of the strange machines. The others huddled in closer together.

"Handlers, remaining subjects will be moved to section RL-258." The speaker clicked off, and the other children were ushered out of the door. This was the last time the little girl saw two of the boys.

/ 

Three days later, after many physical tests, the little girl was not escorted down to the physical test facility. They, instead, took the elevator up several floors. Part of the little girl had fallen asleep from physical exhaustion, numbness, and hopelessness, but that part was quick to wake up now. The fear and panic was back in full force.

She had always been a lively child, so running all day was not a huge problem for her. But now there was something else. She had seen the other girls and boys, except for two, a day ago. They had seemed fine, very silent and nervous, but fine. Except for the look in their eyes. She was not used to thinking about the big things in life, but the look in their eyes she would never forget. It was the same that she had seen in the eyes of a man in her village once. Her mother had told her that the man had gotten lost in the mountains, and had lost himself, lost his spirit, on the way. What could have happened to the others for them to have that look? She did not want to find out.

They stopped in front of a door, and she was pushed inside by Dr. Vanvarda. Inside the too brightly lit room was a small table and a chair. On the other side of the room was another door. As the door she had entered closed behind her, she was left alone, squinting against the bright lights.. But she was not alone for long. Soon after a very cold, calculating man came through the other door. He walked up to the table and pointed for her to sit. She quickly did as told, having learned taking too long would cause punishment.

"Are you afraid?" The man had a cold, raspy voice. She did not like this man any more than she did her handler. Afraid to speak up, she nodded instead.

"You will answer me verbally, and you will call me, sir!" She jumped in fright at his shouted command.

"Are you afraid?"

She hesitated, the memory of cold water still fresh in her mind, before she answered,

"Yes sir."

The man smiled, then turned and walked back out the door he had come from. 

/ 

This had continued throughout the day. The man would enter the room, ask her a question, then leave. She could not make any sense of it. The questions he asked had no meaning. He asked her about the weather, if the snail was aware of the shell, if the wind was faster than time… on and on, the one more confusing than the other. Then several hours later, he had begun showing her a picture and asking a question about the picture. Still, nothing made sense. It was almost night now (she thought) and her head hurt. She was hungry and tired, head aching from the brightness in the room. Most of all she was confused. Her head was spinning. Nothing made sense. Nothing at all.

The next time the man entered, he was not alone. There was a woman with him. The woman went to stand by the door the girl had entered from, and the man once again came up to stand in front of the girl. He still had the same cold smile on his face, only it had grown bigger throughout the day.

"One last question for the day," the girl let out a sigh of relief "What is your name?"

She was even more confused by that. They didn't know her name? They had stolen her in the middle of the night from her bed and they did not know her name? As the man started to lose his smile, she was quick to answer.

"Tifa Lockheart, sir."

His smile was back, but it didn't look the same. It was… evil now.

"Wrong." And then, with a sharp sting, the world went black.

/ 

Tifa woke up to someone banging on her door. Days had gone by since she had first met the man who asked the questions. She did not know his name, but she had learned to fear him. After the first day, they had begun to tie her to the chair in the room. They had put some kind of devices to her head, and if she didn't answer a question the right way, their way, she would get shocked with electricity. After a few days her body had begun to shake all the time. She had problems waking up, but they were also pumping her full of drugs at the end of each session, so she supposed it could have to do with that as well.

But today, she felt something different. A tingling. An odd kind of tingling. It was in her head and in her chest, by her heart. Beside the tingling she felt, there was an odd kind of buzz in her head. Like a fly that was buzzing around her head. It was very annoying.

Maybe it was a fly? She went to wave it away, but noticed that her hands were caught. Opening her eyes, she found herself in the "question room". That was odd in itself.

Odder still was that Dr. Vanvarda was standing in front of her, banging on the desk.

"Finally." He seemed even more annoyed than usually. "You have received classification. Time to move." Desperation, and yet the slightest glint of hope lit up in her. Maybe she would go home now? She wasn't sure if she dared to hope.

As she was being untied, against her better judgment, the question bubbled out of her. "Will I be going home now?"

Dr. Vanvarda laughed out loud. It was a horrible sound that Tifa wished she would never hear again. The doctor stood up and looked her in the eyes, a ruthless smile on his lips.

"You have no home. No identity, no family, no name. No life, no hope. You are a project, for us to do with as we wish, nothing more." And with those words, Tifa Lockheart was gone, replaced by Project Nube.

_**To be continued…**_


	3. A whisper in the night

A/N: Realized my computer has been changing Tifas name to Lockheart. Try not to pay it any mind, I'll change it at some point. Also, for some reason my formatting gets a bit messed up, and I don't know how to fix it. Just a little thing, but something I am aware of. Please enjoy the chapter, would love for you to let me know what you think!

**CHAPTER 3: A Whisper In The Night**

Several weeks had passed since Project Nube had received classification. She still had no idea what anything meant or about what she was supposed to be doing. So far, things had continued in the way they had been before. She would be taken to a room to answer questions, then do exercises while hooked to machines for several hours, then return to her room. The only thing that was different was that she had been moved to new quarters. She now had a bed. Actually, it was just a mattress, but it beat sleeping on the floor. She also had a tiny bathroom. And do not forget the camera with the red light that blinked in the corner. The biggest change of all was the punishment that came if she even mentioned her past. She had learned not to ask about her family, her home, and to not use her name. She was exhausted and lost. Would this ever come to an end?

/

In the meantime, the occupant in the room to the right of hers, a boy, was still confused about why he was getting off so easy. He was practically on vacation by now! He was seriously beginning to debate if it was a new kind of torture for him. Constantly on guard, alert and ready for something to happen, anything, he had grown edgy. He had overheard some of the doctors as they walked by his cell, seemingly forgetting his superior hearing, and they had mentioned that they would be continuing working with him soon.

And he had heard them correctly, later that day they had come and took him for more tests. Grueling ones. He was exhausted, bleeding, battered, and bruised. All he wanted to do was lie down and sleep. If he could sleep. He wasn't sure that he would be able to, not after the hell he had experienced. Yet he did not dare think to complain too much to himself because he knew the worst was still to come. He knew that as he grew older, it would only get worse.

They spoke about it sometimes, about what they were going to do to him. What would be expected of him in the future. It was never anything official, nor was it really meant for him to hear. At least, that was what he thought. Not that it really mattered whichever way it was. There was nothing he would be able to do about it anyway. Nothing, but accept the fact that this was what his life was about. Always had been, always would be. If he was lucky, he would die one day, and stay that way.

Yet a small part of him, the tiniest little fragment hidden so deep inside he wasn't sure it was real anymore, still held hope. Hope that one day Hojo would lose interest in him and let him go, or maybe find some other thing to interest the doctor. Part of him cursed himself for the mere thought of subjecting some other innocent creature (or worse, person) to this fate, but sometimes it was all just too much.

Or maybe Hojo would simply leave him be, to be left alone for the rest of his days. It was a small hope, but even after many years, it had not died away completely, no matter how hard they tried to kill it.

/

They had really hurt her this time. Deeply and severely. She hurt in her very bones and for a reason: they had performed physical examinations today. She had gone through every single medical procedure that she could imagine, and more! The moment they had returned her to her room, she had crawled into bed and began crying softly. She could not seem to stop the tears from falling no matter how hard she tried, the fear of what they would do if she didn't stop constantly on her mind. She then wondered if she would ever stop crying. Was it even possible if this was all she would ever know?

"Hello?"

She instantly stilled and went completely silent. She turned around, wincing in pain at the movement, but there was no one in the room with her. Puzzled, she looked at the camera to see if there was a speaker, but as far as she could see, there was none. There was only the red light that was always blinking, a constant reminder of where she was and that she was never truly alone.

She decided to curl more into a ball, wincing as pain shot through her entire body. _Better to just be silent and try to remain still. I'm probably hearing things. _She wouldn't put that beyond possible. Everything hurt so bad that even her vision was swimming now. She tried to remain silent, but soon the pain was just too much and as tears ran down her already soaked cheeks soft sobs soon made their way out of her mouth. _This can't be it for me._

"Hello?"

There it was again! It was coming from the wall!

She turned away from the camera and put her ear as close as she could against the wall.

"Hello? I-is s-someone there?" she said as softly as she could, trying to keep the pain from her voice while failing miserably.

"Yes. I… I heard crying," came a whispered voice. It sounded like a young boy.

She was instantly on guard. They did not like crying.

"I wasn't crying." Silence followed her statement.

"Is this a test?" they asked simultaneously.

"I guess that means no." She heard the slight humor in his voice. _How odd._

"Who are you?" The question slipped out before she could stop herself. She instantly wanted to take it back. No names were allowed. But before she could say anything he answered.

"A prisoner." Now he sounded very sad. "I have no name. What about you?"

She froze, hesitating, causing her rib-cage to clench painfully.

"I-I can't tell you my name. They'll know. They'll hurt me." She couldn't keep the fear out of her voice.

"Alright, no names." As if he knew what it would mean to say it, and she was sure he did, he was quick to try and ease her worry. She felt some of her fear leave her. Here was someone else in the same place like her, in the same situation possibly. Someone who did not seem to want to hurt her.

"The pain will pass. Try to hang in there." She wanted to sob at the words, from gratefulness of the sympathy or horror that he seemed to know what it was like, and worse, what it would be like.

"Get some rest, they should leave you alone for awhile now."

She hiccuped and winced at the pain the movement caused. She felt silly, but there was something she had to ask.

"Will you be here tomorrow?"

It took a while before he answered.

"I hope so."

With that, she crawled back into a more comfortable, well, less painful position before finally falling asleep, finding some comfort in that maybe she wasn't alone in her fate after all.

/

The following night they were talking again. The boy seemed fine, seemingly only having had theory today. The girl was feeling slightly better, not that she had been given anything for the pain, but the thought of company had done wonders for her ability to manage it.

And they talked long into the night about their experiences at the facility, not in detail as both were still afraid of the possible deceit from the other, or that it was a test. Yet the girl could feel that small hope grow with each word they said, even as they kept it very light and about general topics. This continued until they fell asleep from exhaustion.

The next day all she could think of was the boy in the room next to hers. They had spoken long about their experiences, but not said a word about who they were or where they came from, in fear that their captors would find out. She was still resting, and she guessed that he was as well. They had agreed to talk the following night as well, and to stay quiet during the day, in case they were being watched. She was looking forward to the night.

/

_**3 weeks later…**_

They had spoken almost every night for several weeks now. Both had found an ally and friend in the other, and that in itself was an amazing gift in this place. They had realized that the reason they could talk was an old drain that was located below their beds. By pushing the mattress out from the wall a bit, it had become much easier to hear each other. They were still confused about how this was possible. Was it an oversight, or another test of some sort? Not that it really mattered to them. As long as they could talk, nothing mattered. The boy had helped the girl with a lot of things. She was still very young, and there was much she did not understand. He was a few years older than she, and had taken it upon himself to be her big brother and help her as much as he could. It had already saved her much grief.

"You know, it's kind of weird that I don't know you're name. It feels strange to just call you 'you'." She let out a quiet laugh. He asked the strangest things sometimes. They both knew they could not reveal their real names, of course.

"Well, They call me Project Nube. Does that help?" _"They"_ was what they called the staff. Even when they knew some names, it felt wrong to humanize the people behind all this.

"Project Nube… Project Cloud." He was silent for a moment.

"No. I will not call you a cloud. You are my sun." She giggled softly.

"My world was dark before you came into it." His voice was filled with conviction as he said those words. "That's it!"

"That's what?" Her curiosity was peaked.

"Aurora. I'll call you Aurora." He sounded pleased with his decision. She smiled.

"It's pretty. Does it mean something?"

"It means dawn in Latin. Have they taught you Latin yet?"

"No, not yet. What about you? I have to think of a name for you as well." She suddenly felt a little anxious. How was she going to pick a good name for him? Names were important after all and he had picked such a nice one for her.

And again he stepped in and saved her.

"No need to hurry. We have time. Why don't you go to sleep now. If I'm right about what you told me, you'll have a big day tomorrow." She was scheduled to begin martial arts training the next day, or that's what the pair thought anyway. She would find out if it was true. Strangely, she was actually looking forward to it, a little bit. They would teach her something she actually wanted to learn. And one day, maybe she could use it against them.

**To be continued…**


	4. Friendship

**CHAPTER 4: Friendship**

**A few years later…**

Aurora and Peter (because he didn't want to grow old, for fear of what would come, she named him after a boy from a story she had heard at home about a boy just like that) had grown a lot in the years that had passed. They were doing better than ever, closer than they had ever been to anyone. Old memories of home and friends had begun to fade from Auroras mind, and, with Peter's help, she had grown accustomed to life at the lab.

He had told her she would, but had also insisted that she never forget where she came from. He did not know anything outside of this place, and part of him doubted that he ever would, so it was the most precious memory she had according to him. She would always tell him that he was being silly, and of course he would get out. They would go together. It wasn't that often that they spoke about the past, but they spoke of the future more than enough to make up for it.

They had shared their dreams, hopes, and their wildest fantasies about seeing the wonders of the world. Anything and everything. The pair grew to feel as if they had always known each other.

They had somehow managed to keep their discussions a secret, although they weren't sure how. There had been a few close calls over the years, but luck had been on their side. That was also something they spoke of; about what would happen if they were caught. It was not so much the punishment they feared. The years had been hard on them and they had learned to withstand pain. The only punishment they really feared was isolation. It had happened a few times for other reasons, but had never lasted more than a few days. So their greatest fear was that they would be separated from each other permanently.

Yet, they figured that as long as they were careful and did not speak too often, they would not get caught. They had thought up some cover stories just in case. _I was talking to myself… I must have been dreaming…_ All kinds of little excuses as to why you would talk to the wall. And you could always get away with a word or two, which was more than enough most days.

They only wished that their stories would never be tested, for they both knew that _They_ had ways to make you tell the truth, about anything, no matter how good you were at hiding things. No matter if you, or someone even more important, would lose everything if you were caught.

/

It had been a very trying few days for Aurora. She had been put in the place she hated the most; a lab where she was tied down to a slab until she was immobile while they performed experiments on her flesh. All this was done while she was awake and able to feel every cut of the scalpel. She feared these days the most, as to her they made no sense, no actual point, nothing to learn. There was only suffering. And so, she was left very shaken for days after. Of course, only Peter truly knew how much it affected her, and so it was after these days that they talked the most, as he seemed to always be able to pull her back into herself from the place her mind went to hide on these days.

"Where would you go?" Peter and Aurora were once again deep in conversation about the future. It was a discussion they had had a thousand times, and both knew by heart, but one they would always return to above all other conversations.

"Anywhere, everywhere." Peter was always so eager to see the world. He did not care what part, as long as it was somewhere away from the lab.

"Nowhere in particular?" It was a question she loved to ask, simply because she loved the answer. Or perhaps not the words themselves, but the way they were said. His voice would soften, even if it always was soft when they spoke, and she could sense his smile in his voice.

"As long as you are with me, I could go anywhere…" When he said those words, in that voice, she forgot all about being locked up in a small room. Forgot all about the things she had to endure everyday, the pain and suffering. She forgot about the evil grins she always got from _Them_ when _They_ thought she wasn't looking. She forgot that she did not know his real name, nor did he know hers. Forgot that the two of them had never seen one another, had never touched, or even held hands. That they had never held each other as one of them cried, whether from pain or desperation. She forgot about the fact that she should not feel all warm and safe inside when they spoke. And most of all she forgot that she was not allowed to have a crush on him.

More and more she drifted into the place he described for her, the place where they were happy.

"…but if I could choose, we would go to the sea. We'd live by the ocean, with a forest close by, and nothing and no one but us for miles and miles."

She leaned closer into the wall, as she knew he was doing on the other side. When they spoke of this place, this sanctuary of theirs, she would always smile inside for days. She knew he would as well. She would close her eyes and imagine what his smile would look like. She couldn't wait until she finally got to see it for real.

"Aurora, are you even listening to me?" Jolted out of her fantasy, she blushed. She knew he would hear it in her voice, but would not pry into it. Unless he was in a teasing mood.

"Sorry… I was somewhere far away." And again she knew he was smiling about that comment.

"I asked where you would go?" It was a question that always followed the previous ones. And the answer was always the same, which was a reason for why they always returned to this conversation.

"Home. Wherever that is." The first few times he had asked her what she meant by that, if she didn't remember her home, she had never given him an answer. Simply because she did not know it herself. And part of her a was afraid to answer it, even to herself, as she suspected the home she had come from was no more. Shinra would not leave witnesses behind after all. So every time he inquired about it she would simply change the subject, or say that she didn't know. Part of her felt as if she was lying to him, and that part was getting harder and harder to ignore, but until she was ready to answer it to herself, she would keep pushing it away.

"Where do you think we are now? I can't remember anything from when I was brought here, only that it was a long drive." This was another thing the two often talked about. They had yet to get any answers; about where they were, and why they were here… At least now, they knew who was to blame.

"I don't know. I've heard whispers here and there, but nothing conclusive." They both sighed.

"One day we will find out." _But what happens then? _

"You know what else I've been thinking about? I think I might want to open a dojo in the nearest village." He made a surprised sound.

"That's new." She smiled.

"I could teach martial arts." She was proud at how good she had gotten, the best in her group actually.

"And I thought you could teach weapons." There was a bit of doubt in her voice as she said that last part. She knew he was a master at the sword, but she also knew his distaste in using it.

"We'd teach children..." Surprised as she was at his response, it filled her with joy, and they continued to talk about it long into the night.

/

The day after their conversation Aurora had not returned to her room. At first Peter did not worry, but as the days passed fear kept rearing its ugly head. What if she had been caught? What if something had happened? What if he would never see her again?

As a week had passed and there was still no sign of her, his performance had started to suffer from his worry, how ever slightly. Hojo had not yet commented on it, but he knew he had to pull it together before Hojo decided to do something about it. If it was obvious to him that his performance was not perfect, it would soon become noticeable to others as well. And he had nothing particular that he could blame it on, only the daily hell that was this place and that excuse would not be enough to still Hojo's interest.

It was strange how dependent he had become on Aurora. All his life he had been alone, had known that he would always be alone, and it was pointless to even try to reach out to anyone.

Then she had come into his life. He still to this day could not explain what had caused him to contact her that fateful day. It went against everything he had ever known, yet now he couldn't imagine his life without her. There wasn't a thing that he wouldn't do for her, she need only ask. And then he felt bad as he could not give her the one thing she wanted the most: her freedom.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Caught completely off guard, Hojo's shouting voice caused him to fall from the beam he was balancing on. He hit the floor, hard, getting shot by the three drones that he had been blocking until then. Wincing slightly as he stood back up, he saw Hojo sending two guards over to him, with his usual attendant tagging along. Now he would probably have to go to the Room. He hated the Room. And by the look on Hojo's face, it was going to be an even less pleasant stay than usual.

/

After waiting for days, Aurora finally heard some noise in Peter's room. Now, she just had to wait until lights out before she could find out where he had been.

About an hour later she got her chance.

"Where have you been?" Her voice was broken and breathless, the words trying to tumble out too fast.

"What do you mean where have I been... Where have you been?" As usual, he wanted to know her situation first, even though she could hear the pain that was evident in his voice. But as she had been gone longer, she could understand that need for security in knowing she was alright.

"I was sent to the med wing. There was an accident. I'm okay; a broken leg and some wounds, but mostly fine. I'm never going to learn to use the long sword." Aurora sighed. She always lost when there were swords involved.

"And you think I should not worry?" There was wry humor in his voice, as well as relief.

"Exactly. Now what about you?" She wanted to know what had happened, grateful as always he let her hear his pain if he did not say it in so many words.

"I... I suppose you could say I had an accident as well. Hojo sent me to the Room." Aurora gasped.

"Are you alright? What did they do? You're not hurt badly are you?" The worry in her voice was enough to take away all the pain of the last few days. The sun was back, and instantly the world was a brighter, warmer, and simply better place.

"It's okay. It wasn't that bad. It was actually a little strange." Thinking about it, they hadn't really had their "hearts" in it this time, and that in itself was something to worry about.

"Strange? What do you mean by that?"

"They didn't really do anything that bad, just the usual." The strange thing was that the both of them accepted the treatment and punishment as usual. If it was not of a cruel nature, it was simply business as usual.

"That's odd. And good." Her face was lit up by a smile, or that's how Peter imagined it anyway. Now that both of their worries had been alleviated, they fell back into their usual conversation.

Back to life as it was. Unfortunately life has a tendency to turn things upside down when you least expect it…

**To be continued…**


	5. Ye who enter here

AN: I'd like to start by apologizing if I haven't relied to reviews, I sorta can't remember who I've replied to or not. RL had been a complete mess, and that has affected a lot of things, including the writing of this story.

**CHAPTER 5: Ye who enter here**

As the years went by, Hojo had started to notice a change in his young project. When the child had been born, he had immediately been put into a lab for testing, and then as time went by, Hojo had spent all his time trying to perfect this one being into the hope for ShinRa's future. His greatest achievement.

The child had sought out companionship and some sort of family connection when he was very young, yet that need had quickly been trampled out of him. Touch and questions beyond what were required for his tests were punished swiftly and efficiently.

Sephiroth had learned quickly what was expected of him. He had taken up his father's desire for him to become the best, which brought great pride to Hojo as a scientist (part of Hojo knew it was professor Ghast that the boy looked up to, but his twisted mind warped it to suit his own ego). Although, Hojo doubted Sephiroth knew who his father was in the first place. These things were inconsequential anyway.

It was many years later that he started to notice something was different. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was there, however minute. At first he suspected it might have been some sort of cell degradation, but all the tests came back better than ever. Sephiroth was truly a marvel like no other. Which is probably why the President wanted more like him, and quickly. The company was ever expanding both it's market share and influence, and with those came certain setbacks from people who wanted to stand in the way of progress. So, those people needed to be removed, one way or another. Great conflict was on the horizon. President Shinra wanted an army, and people capable of leading that army. So far, there had been no success in trying to recreate the triumph that was Project S. Hojo doubted there would be. They lacked the needed material after all.

Yet something nagged at Hojo. It was not a visible change in the now young man that was nothing but perfection in most things he did. If he wasn't, he would be molded until he was (brutally or not, whatever it took). He didn't act differently, nor were his manners changed in any way, but there was something. Something Hojo could swear he saw in those cat eyes at times when the young man was caught off guard (as much as he could be, it was something only Hojo was capable of at seldom times). It was almost as if he was trying even harder, going beyond what he already did, to become even better.

Well, whatever it was, it was working out for them so far. And until Hojo could get Shinra off his back, it would have to remain a bit of a mystery as he did not have time for it. Unless, it got in the way, then it would be dealt with in the same manner as all things had been dealt with: swiftly and without mercy.

**Later… **

Things had gone okay since that time so long ago now. They had both learned to live with anything and everything, as long as they were together everything was fine. Every time they were kept apart their relationship became stronger. And while neither knew it, they had both fallen in love over the years.

It had developed slowly, from friendship, survival, and camaraderie in the beginning, to family as the years passed, and then finally into romantic love. Of course, they loved each other as friends and family as well, but it had become something deeper. It had become a yearning to be with each other, a longing for the other. It was something they were not ready to admit aloud to themselves, let alone to one another. In another world, some might look upon it as puppy love, or say that it was because of their situation, but the heart knows what the heart knows. And luckily no one else knew about them, or they might have wished that they never would have met.

Why it had become something greater than that of one family member to another was not easy to explain; only it had simply come naturally for them. For him, it had begun with the need to protect her and it had grown into the need to give her everything and anything in the world. As long as she was happy, nothing else mattered.

For her, it was simpler. She had wanted to show him kindness, and that had simply grown into the desire to show him her love. But emotions had always come easier for her. She had after all known love before in her life.

It was also greater as they had nothing but their talks to base it on. They had never seen one another, never done anything, but talk and dream. As if they had always been meant to be, it was simply natural; to be apart made them sick, to be close gave them wings to fly with. They would both die for the other just because a life without love would not be to live at all.

Of course, neither felt they could tell the other any of it, for to do so was to risk as they had never risked before. Both were afraid of the same thing: how would the other react? Because to be rejected, would be to die. And they could not risk their friendship, because without it, there was no hope. And without hope, in this place, you were doomed.

/

It had been a strange day when Aurora had realized that her feelings went deeper than they perhaps should go. Yet, she had known instantly that it was true, and so the denial and lies had began. It had been a normal day, and they had been talking like they always did. Peter had been joking, in that way that was so his own, about something, and she had been dreaming about what he looked like when he was happy. She would imagine that his eyes would sparkle and his whole face would be lit up by his smile. How his lips would curl and how his body would shake with laughter. She had found herself thinking how happy she was to be there with him. At that thought, the doors to her feelings had been opened. She could not believe that she was happy to be in this place, but she was. Had she not been taken from her home, she would never had met him. Of course, she wished they could have met elsewhere, but that she was satisfied with things as they were now was an obvious sign that she had passed all the barriers she had set up. It was a surprise, but a pleasant one.

At least, until the fear of his feelings, or the lack thereof, gripped her. She was young, only 14, and he was practically an adult already at 17. How could he possibly feel for her what she felt for him? And so, she began telling herself that her feelings were not real. That they were friends and family and nothing more. But the heart does not listen to reasoning, demands or lies. It simply loves whomever it loves. And it is foolishness to try and change that. Yet, still she tried.

The situation was very similar for Peter. He had not recognized it for what it was for the longest time. How could he? He had nothing to base it on. But as the months passed and he realized that the simplest things, like the sound of her sleeping at night, was enough to make him smile and feel warm inside, he had started thinking about it. As he was a very intelligent person, he felt it was odd that he could not understand what it was at first. So when he finally did, he could not believe it. He had never thought himself capable of loving someone, at least, not beyond that of the friendship they shared. He had analyzed it, had broken it down into specifics, had done everything he had been taught to do and had always come to the same conclusion: it was love. Heart wrenching, soul searing love. It was a feeling so pure yet so primal that it could not be ignored. It had taken control over him and would not let go. No matter how hard he tried to fight it. Not that he really wanted to fight it, but he was afraid of it. Afraid for her and for himself. It was so completely new that he did not know how to deal with it.

And yet somehow part of him did; he wanted to be with her. In every way. He wanted to give himself completely to her, and have her do the same (perhaps not right now, but in the future certainly). And there was another problem; he was afraid what she would think of him. She was, after all, very young and did perhaps not know of certain things in life. How could he even think of her like this!? She thought of him only as a brother, nothing more. So on and on he struggled with his feelings and hiding them from her. Even, if it was futile.

/

And then one day, it happened. The thing they had always dreaded. Peter had practically sprinted to the drain the second the door was closed behind him, even though it was in the middle of the day and he would be caught. Even she could possibly be caught, if they understood what he was doing. Luckily, Aurora had been in her room. She had been shocked when he had called out for her, but nothing had prepared her for what he told her.

"Leaving? What do you mean leaving?" She couldn't quite understand what he was telling her. The thought of leaving was so alien at this point.

"I heard Them talking. They're shipping me off somewhere! For good this time!" For the first time ever, she could truly hear panic in his voice, but it wasn't for himself.

"No! You can't leave me. They can't do this!" She was beginning to cry. There was a knot in her throat, and something cold and empty was beginning to grip her.

"It'll be okay. Shhh… Don't cry. I hate it when you cry." But his words could not comfort her now. Silent sobs were pulled out of her. An incomprehensible panic was building inside her.

"They can't…" She had slumped against the wall, curling into a ball, tears running down her face like rivers while her fingers tried to claw at the grate that was their world.

"It's alright… everything will be alright. It won't end here. I know it won't. We will meet again." He wasn't too sure about it, but he had to do something to calm her down. He knew he would not survive if she was not okay before he left. But nothing was helping. He was beginning to truly fear for her. What would happen if They found out? If she could not pull it together before

They came and got him? And that could be any minute now, as he was only put back in his room until they could settle something with that new man. Hell, they might even be watching the cameras right this second.

"Aurora, listen to me. I was dead before you came into my life, and I won't survive unless I know you are okay. I have to know that you will be alright."

He stopped, leaned his head against the wall and just listened to her cry for a moment. It was breaking his heart. For as long as he lived, this was a sound he never wanted to hear again.

"Please… I need to know that you'll be okay. That you will live with me…I love you… I can't lose you." And then he felt like crying. How was he going to make it without her?

"I…I love you too. Promise me, promise me we'll fulfill our dream… Promise me our future…"

He was silent for awhile. There was a good chance he would die soon, so it was a promise he probably could not keep.

But he would try.

"I promise."

And with those final words, the door to his room opened and then all he knew was blackness as the sounds of her soft cries faded away with his consciousness.

_**To be continued…**_

AN: Sorry for the drama, I just had to. ;) Please let me know what you think.


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